In Loving Memory
by Eleantris
Summary: Amy finds an old leather jacket onboard the TARDIS, and it brings back memories for the Doctor. Not bad ones, but good ones. Very, very good ones. - A tribute to the late Elisabeth Sladen -


_**Hi. I thought recent events called for a short little Doctor Who oneshot. This is a tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah-Jane Smith and who died recently of cancer at the age of 63. She was simply fantastic, and we lost her too soon. I hope you like this. **_

_**X =D**_

_**Disclaimer – I don't own Doctor Who. **_

_**In Loving Memory**_

* * *

><p>The Doctor was in the control room, flicking switches and pulling levers that didn't really do a lot of anything. Rory had popped out to the shops, and Amy was, apparently, raiding the TARDIS wardrobe for something suitable to wear. He only hoped that meant either trousers, or a longer skirt.<p>

"Doctor?"

He turned to see Amy, still not changed out of her short denim skirt, stood there clutching a pink-brown leather jacket that was all too familiar to him. "Was just wondering, can I wear this? It's nice, I like it." Grinning, Amy pulled the jacket on and did a twirl, holding her arms out and admiring herself. She danced her way over to him. "What do you think?"

"I think you should take it off."

The grin fell from Amy's face as she clocked the look of utter seriousness on the Doctor's face, and the lingering sadness in his eyes. Frowning, but pulling off the jacket, Amy watched his face carefully for any further reaction, but none came. Not knowing what to do next, she gently placed it on the console. The Doctor reached out suddenly to snatch it up, and she jumped slightly. "Sorry," she said, looking at him, curious, but confused at the same time. "It's just a leather jacket."

The Doctor clutched the jacket closer to him, still deadly serious and eyeing her with accusation. "It's not _just_ a leather jacket. It..." He glanced down at the jacket in his arms, and Amy didn't miss the sadness that crept into his expression, the regret in his eyes. "It belonged to someone."

"Oh..."

"Yeah," the Doctor said bitterly, swallowing as he dragged his gaze back up from the jacket to look Amy in the eyes. "Oh." He turned away from her, intent on heading back to the wardrobe to return the jacket, but she followed him.

"Doctor, I'm sorry, I didn't realise, I forgot that some people..."

He suddenly whirled round to face her again, making her jump backwards. His eyes were hard, his expression a mixture of pain and anger as he rounded on her. "Yes, you forgot, I thought as much. Because it's always about you in your world, Pond; in love with yourself, that's what you are."

She looked affronted at his words, pouting slightly as something tightened in her chest. She was hurt. "Doctor, I'm sorry, I really am..." He turned away again, and she called after him. "But I am not in love with myself!"

He stopped and turned again, letting out a sigh. "No, you're not... I'm sorry, Amy. It's just, seeing this, brings back memories..."

"Bad ones?" she asked with a small, forgiving smile.

"No..." he said, sounding thoughtful as he looked down at the jacket again. Amy recognised the expression on his face and knew he was reminiscing, memories running through his head. "Good ones." He looked up at her again and met her gaze. "Very, very good ones." A small, sad smile crept onto his face as he remembered the coppery hair, the engaging brown eyes, clever ideas and witty retorts.

"Was she a companion of yours?" Amy asked as the Doctor sighed and leant against the console. She moved to sit next to him. "Before?"

He nodded. "Yeah... We travelled together. And we crossed paths, a few times after that..." His smile grew a little wider. "She was brilliant."

Amy smiled reassuringly and asked, "What was her name?"

Staring off into the distance, his mind in another time and place entirely, the Doctor smiled and reminisced. "Sarah-Jane...Her name was Sarah-Jane Smith." He turned his head to meet her gaze and they exchanged tentative smiles as Amy reached for his hand and squeezed it slightly.

"Oh she was brilliant, Sarah-Jane Smith. You'd have loved her. She was quick, and witty, and smart... Always had an answer, was always looking for trouble too..." He grinned, a small laugh escaping him. "Even after we parted ways, I bumped into her again. She'd heard about some weird goings on at a school, so you'll never guess what she did."

"What?"

He laughed again, eyes alight with the memory. "She actually posed as a journalist and investigated the school! She even managed to find the TARDIS and sussed me out..." The familiar smile came onto his face again, his eyes wandering to the distance. "She was fantastic... Just, _fantastic_. One of a kind, that was Sarah-Jane. Never giving up, never backing down... Always there... Well..." His smile lessened a little, sadness appearing in his eyes again. "Nearly always. Not now, obviously..."

Amy smiled slightly, squeezing his hand again. "She sounds amazing."

The Doctor nodded sadly, looking straight ahead of him. "That's because she _was_ amazing. Truly, truly amazing," he said quietly, squeezing her hand back. "She was the best... My Sarah-Jane Smith."

* * *

><p><em><strong>In memory of Elisabeth Sladen. February, 1946 – April, 2011. May she rest in peace.<strong>_

_**Thank you for reading, and reviews are welcome. :)**_

_**X **_


End file.
